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500 words is not enough to express how much I love the Cameleon!

When pregnant with my first baby I wanted the Cameleon travel system by Bugaboo more than anything, I was basing this purely on sight more than anything at the time.

I raved about this travel system to my husband but had never actually given it a 'test drive' so when the time came we visited John Lewis to see it in the flesh. We spent some time looking at the Cameleon and briefly compared it to a similar model by iCandy. My husband didn't take a lot of persuasion, it met all my expectations and more.

What I initially loved about the Cameleon was the carrycot. It looks like a snug cosy traditional pram with a very modern twist. I was expecting an October baby so an enclosed pram was important to me, I wanted him to have the comfort of a crib for his little developing back and I hated seeing new born babies forced upright into a pushchair. Another defining feature of Bugaboo is that with an easy switch you can transform the travel system from parent facing to forward facing. Obviously as a new mum I wanted to be able to gaze into my baby's eyes, check that he was ok and generally just be able to see him but the Cameleon promises to be suitable from birth to age 4 so I needed to look to the future. On testing out the display model in John Lewis I was very impressed with how it moved, it glided around effortlessly and because it has a bar rather than 2 handles it means you can grab the middle and steer with one hand (this is particularly handy when you have another child to keep hold of as I later found out!). The chassis felt incredibly stable, like it was built to last and felt far more sturdy than the iCandy. As we didn't know whether we were expecting girl or boy we chose the charcoal base fabric with red tailored fabric. At the time colour choices were limited but since a huge variety has become available including designer fabrics.

When my baby boy arrived he spent the first 6 months travelling in his pram but also the first 3 months sleeping in the carry coat as it has an excellent quality mattress which is suitable for continued use. We had decided not to buy a moses basket for this very reason. All the covers are machine washable which definitely proved invaluable with a new born.

5 years on I am still using the Cameleon. I have a very small 3 year old and since our OBaby Atlas broke after just 2 and half years use I use the Cameleon regularly on the school run. We have countryside pavements to endure so this is a dream come true as it is designed to tackle most terrains including sand and snow!

I would be loathed to part with me beloved Cameleon 'in case' number 3 should come along one day.

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Brilliant, unless you regularly use public transport

Despite what the title may say, I actually really love this!

We initially chose this pram system because of its weight. My sister-in-law had a Stokke system for her first child, but found it difficult to use because of its weight. Comparatively, the Bugaboo is around 35% lighter and an absolute dream to push and steer. We had been warned that it can be hard to collapse...one friend with a Chameleon 2 had a buy a separate pushchair for grandparents to use, as they just couldn't work it out! However, we (grandparents included!) find the Chameleon 3 easy to collapse and restore again...all it take is a lift of the handle until the wheels 'click'!

We also liked that we could use it with our Maxi Cosy Pebble car seat, which is brilliant for quick supermarket trips, especially if little one falls asleep in the car (like mine!)

When our son arrived, he was equally enamoured with the pram. He regularly naps in this to the extent that a push in the pram has become a fail-safe solution to a grizzly baby! Although other reviews have mentioned that the pram can feel a bit shaky on uneven ground (only the pram section, not the chassis), we've found that this helps to lull him to sleep and at no point does the pram ever feel unstable. In fact, as he slept so well in this but cried at the sight of his moses basket, we actually allowed him to sleep in this at night until he was 3 1/2 months old! Although it sounds crazy, it worked for us! The solid base of the pram meant that it worked with our Angel Care baby monitor and the washable cover made it okay for this amount of use. And if he became unsettled, we could just push him back and forth until he drifted off again!

We have no yet moved to the buggy section, but I am looking forward to being able to recline my son if needed, plus choose to have him facing me or facing out (unfortunately, I think he'll prefer facing out to looking at me!) I'm also looking forward to being able to access the basket more easily...though a brilliant size and well thought-out with the drawstring top, the basket sits very close to the pram, making it difficult to get things in and out. I don't see this being a problem once we have progressed to the buggy.

The big downside with the Chameleon is when you need to collapse it. Although the action itself is straightforward, it is a pain to then have to carry/load the two separate pieces, which are both quite large. If you have a small car, you may find that the collapsed pram will not fit in your boot...our Honda Civic can just about manage, and only if we unload the basket first! It is even harder (near impossible) to manage both collapsed pieces AND your infant on public transport.

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If you can afford this pram you will not regret it for a moment.

I have the Bugaboo. Sure it's crazy money but you get what you pay for. When you're trudging around pushing your Bugaboo to get baby to sleep your day will be massively improved as you spot other mums with other prams enviously checking out your Bugaboo! Yes really it happens all the time! Besides that the Bugaboo is easy to fit together and extremely easy to fold down and open out. It folds up nice and small with removable wheels so will fit in any car boot. The pram is cosy and sturdy but also collapses flat for easy transportation. The pushchair has lots of room; more so then others I've seen so no worry about your toddler growing too big for it. The Bugaboo Chameleon also handles beautifully; you can show off with one handed turns through double doors if you're feeling in the mood! The only things that I would say could be improved are the shopping basket and the hood. The basket is quite tricky to access and I found myself struggling to stuff bags in and then finding they were stuck! The hood is fine but could do with an extra section to create more shade - this has been corrected in the Chameleon 3.

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Brilliant pushchair! My favourite so far!

I purchased this pushchair as my sons main pram. With carrycot after we moved to a more rural location.Cost £770 on offer.

What is it?---------------The bugaboo cameleon pushchair by Bugaboo. A high end pushchair manufacturer. The Bugaboo Cam is a versatile multi-terrain stroller with a great choice of colours. with adjustable suspension and a sturdy four-wheel system.Age range - from birth

Design----------I absolutely LOVE the look of these pushchairs. I think they look sturdy yet sleek and come in a huge range of colours with lots of practical accessories.The carrycot is nice and big but very cozy.The seat unit faces both ways and reclines into 3 positions.You can choose which tailored fabric colour you would like and they come in so many colours. You can buy a cup holder, footmuff, buggy board, car seat adaptors and many more accessories for this pushchair!

My experience------------------

This is by far my favourite pushchair I have owned.

We went for the 'off white' or cream colour but in hindsight maybe would get a darker colour as it needed washing a fair bit. But was easy to remove and wash at 30 with a little fairy gel.Used every day, it was practical and comfortable. My son was in the seat unit from 7 months and was extremely comfortable. It reclines back and also very easily turns around to 'face the world' which he loved.

The fold is easy although it is a 2 peice fold which means the seat unit has to be taken off the frame to fold. Very easy once you get the hang!

I found the adjustable handlebars great as I'm very short and my husband is tall. The suspension is also great on uneven surfaces and makes for a very smooth ride, also lovely up and down curbs.

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Lighweight pram that's a dream to push and is the only pram you'll ever need to buy

When I first started looking at prams this was the one that first jumped out at me and I dismissed it initially because of the high cost. But, after going around lots of stores and trying out prams I soon realised this was the best one out there and was totally suited to our needs. I searched online for the best price and got mothercare to pricematch it- I paid £749 for the bugaboo cameleon with black fabric set, maxi cosi cabriofix car seat and maxi cosi car seat adapters for the pram. I was very happy with the price I paid and feel over 2 years later that I got good value for my money.

This is a beautiful looking pram, especially with the carrycot attached. The carrycot is huge, the biggest out of all the prams I looked at and would easily have accommodated my daughter until 6 months. The carry cot is suitable for overnight sleeping which was handy as it was the only place I could get my daughter to sleep as she would not settle in her cot. She always looked so content in the carrycot and the huge hood provided a lot of privacy and protection from the winter winds and prying eyes.

At 4 and a half months my daughter moved from the carrycot to the seat unit. To do this you use the same frame and remove the carry cot base and fabric and attach the seat unit fabric instead. This is very easy to do and takes very little time. The seat unit is well padded and has a 5 point safety harness. The seat unit is very large and easily accommodates my 4 year old niece so I have no qualms about my daughter outgrowing this pram. My daughter always looks very comfortable in this pram and is always eager to go in it and I feel it's comfort is one of the reasons why. The seat unit has 3 positions (fully upright, slightly reclined and fully reclined) which are easily changed by clicking in the round white knobs on each side of the pram.

This pram is very easy to push, you can easily do so one handed. It also turns around on itself quickly and easily so is ideal for manoeuvring in small spaces such as shops. It pushes that easily that I would always always recommend wearing the wrist strap attached to the handle of the pram.

The pram comes complete with a set of fabrics, rain over and mosquito net included in the price. He raincover is quite difficult to put on though and it doesn't seem to get any easier with practice. However once on it fully protects the pram and looks very stylish which isn't something you'd normally say about a raincover. It also has a flap that you can lift up or Velcro down to allow you access to baby in the pram and for air to flow freely through. The shopping basket under the pram looks small but is deceptively spacious although in carrycot mode it can be difficult to access it easily.

You can buy additional accessories but they are quite expensive and the cost soon mounts up. Sme accessories I have purchased though are the cup holder, footmuff and an additional fabric pack as I love being able to change the colour of the pram when I feel like it.

While I absolutely adore this pram my One criticism is that the two part fold can be quite cumbersome at times and it would be nice to be able to fold the pram down in one go without first removing the seat unit. However the chassis and seat unit are very lightweight and the fold mechanism is straight forward to use so folding it down and putting it in the boot of the car isn't that much of an issue really. It does take up a good bit in the car boot though especially if you are using the carrycot so this is probably not the pram for you if you have a small boot.

Overall I love this pram. I've used it daily for 2 years and have no regrets. I can also me using it for sme time to come so I feel like I'm getting a lot from my initial investment.

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Excellent pushchair for a newborn and handles well in various terrains

Before I was pregnant I knew I wanted a Bugaboo Cameleon. So when I fell pregnant I knew that it was the pushchair for me. I finally decided on the Sand canvas package to go with it and bought some maxi-cosi adaptors so that I could use my car seat with it. Perfect for short trips or when baby is sleeping and doesn't need to be disturbed!

The wheels on the Cameleon are excellent and handle very well on rough terrain such as sand and gravel. They do well in the snow as well. Additional snow wheels can be bought but I didn't buy them. I think the Cameleon looks great in the carrycot mode. The carrycot is very spacious and much bigger then other brands that we test drove. My son was able to stay in his carrycot until he was 5 months old. In comparison most of my non Bugaboo friends had to change to the seat unit by 3/4 months as their baby had outgrown theirs.

I love the fact that the pushchair can parent and world face. There is nothing nicer then seeing your baby as you walk around. I do like the range of accesories that Bugaboo have with their pushchairs. It does however soon add up in price!

My only niggle with the pushchair is the two piece fold. Which can be quite tricky when you are juggling a newborn and the rain! The raincover can be a bit tricky to put on as well but is easy when you get the hang of it.

My son is now one year old and still has plenty of room in his seat so hoping that it will see us into toddlerhood!

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A fantastic, stylish pushchair that will last from child to child!

My Bugaboo Cameleon - is a bit like my best friend... reliable, fun, and a joy to be around!

This pushchair is simply fantastic. It does everything a good pushchair should. It is well made, sturdy and yet lightweight. The suspension is brilliant and it turns on a sixpence! It functions well on all terrain. It is easy to get in and out of the car as folds down compactly. The seat unit is light and easy to clip onto the chassis and moving the chassis to the different positions from lie flat to upright is also easy. You can get a range of fabric packs to change the look of the pushchair, so you can change the colour or fabric type - they do some lovely snuggly fleece covers for winter. They also do a great range of matching accessories.

My only issue is that it is quite hard to change the fabric packs, I found it hard to change the hood in particular as you needed someone else to help you pull the fabric taut as you fixed it onto the frame.

Their customer service is also excellent.

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Excellent choice!

I bored all my friends stupid with my choosing a pram dilemmas. I discovered I am very, very picky, and not a fan of prams generally. I wanted a pram that would be the only one I would buy, to last my daughter all the way from birth to walking. it had to be able to cope with a lot of off road walking, a lot of walking generally, a lot of public transport use, and the carrycot had to be suitable for overnights too. I also wanted to actually *like* it, since I would be seeing a lot of it over the next few years!I eventually decided to part with the significant amount of money it cost, having found a deal, and bought the whole kit, including car seat and adaptors, for around £750 for the Cam 3. I have to say, I felt apprehensive, spending so much on a travel system. I went for the sand / petrol blue colour way, and thought that, while there are endless colours available if you are willing to pay, the standard ones are somewhat limited.My first pleasant surprise was the ease with which the Cameleon 3 is assembled. I built and understood the whole thing, at 8 months pregnant, in less than an hour, with no problems. The instructions are generally clear, and the fact that all the bits that you need to use to operate a given function (brakes / adaptor buttons / handle moving etc) are coloured specifically, so you know you are doing the right thing, is helpful. You do have to look at it to realise you need to unvelcro the bottom of the carrycot frame to get it to sit flat on a surface, but this is fairly obvious.I have now been using the Cameleon for a few months, and it is even better than I hoped it would be. It is really easy to manoeuvre, you can easily push it one handed if you need to hold on to an older child etc. The extra features I thought I would like have turned out to be great. The solid wheels mean no punctures (a problem with my previous system), the flexible wheel arrangement really DOES make a difference for places like the beach (NO problem to push on the sand!) and, it's lovely to be able to fold the handle all the way down to the floor, so, with the car seat on the frame at least, the frame can be easily pulled up to a restaurant table, allowing the baby to be engaged with the dining group, and the pram to be out of the way of others. The under seat storage is surprisingly spacious and easily holds all the changing kit you could need for a whole day out, as well as a fair amount of additional shopping etc.The adjustable height handle is easy to change and means that my 6 yr old son can easily push his baby sister, but his 6'4" father can also push his daughter comfortably.The only downsides so far are, that I can't see the carrycot lasting til 6 months (but I do have a tall baby) the car seat adaptors are a little tricky to remove from the car seat, and there is a knack to managing stairs etc.Also, if you do use public transport a lot, you need to factor in that, there is absolutely no way you could reasonably collapse the system with the carrycot on it (not just because it is a two part fold), but, it is easy to fit alongside a stroller in a standard wheelchair / buggy space on the bus, and not too challenging on the train.Overall, I love it.

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Go buy it :)

When my husband and I started looking for a pram, we had a main set of 'must haves' we were looking for. We wanted a durable buggy, multi-terrain, one which could lie flat and be parent facing. Plus, we wanted one that looked good!

Of all the prams we looked at, the Bugaboo Cameleon was right at the top of our list. We knew it was expensive (over £800) but as we were given some money towards a travel system as a gift from family, we decided to go for it. And we were not disappointed!

The bugaboo has a set frame, with height adjustable handles which were easy to change, so this ensured whoever was pushing the pram would find it comfortable. It has good sized wheels (2 smaller which allow for better steering, and 2 larger which make it easier to use on harder terrain or worse weather conditions) which move very smoothly and is surprisingly agile for a pram which is a large size. You do have the option to decide which wheels to have at the front (due to being able to move the handlebars from front to back) which helps with the steering. It was also a lot lighter to push than it looked like it was going to be! It was great both on city streets, and out on country tracks, and handled brilliantly in all weather: it was very easy to use in the snow. It has a decent sized shopping basket underneath the frame. With different adapters, you can choose to click three different elements to the pram: a MaxiCosi carseat, a traditional pram or a more open upright buggy seat. The frame allows you to move the handles from front to back, which allows the pram to be either parent facing or front facing (a bonus for us, as we really wanted a parent facing pram).

The material for the pram it is attached to a main frame piece, which is also used with a different set piece of fabric when you want to change to a buggy style. The pram was a very good depth and length, and our daughter always seemed very comfortable as there was enough depth to ensure the wind etc. was kept off her: necessary when she was a winter baby! Our daughter always slept very well in the pram. The hood was again a great fit and size, and covered over the pram very well. The rain cover fitted perfectly for both the pram and the upright buggy settings. I loved the mix of the traditional and the modern look of this unit.

When our daughter got older, it was time to move to the more upright buggy style. The pram fabric came off the frame, and the buggy fabric put on: this was very quick and easy to achieve. The hood covered a very good part of the top of the buggy, and you can purchase a cosy toes to put on the bottom. The safety straps and buckle were simple to use, and very effective. The buggy frame could be set at any of 3 settings: virtually flat, semi upright and almost straight upright (our daughter favourite position, as it allowed her to see everything!) and was very easy to change between the 3. The buggy was great to use on a facing away setting, as it was higher up and our daughter could really see where she was going.

You do need to purchase a particular set of adapters to allow the MaxiCosi car seat to fit onto the frame, but it is definitely worth it. The ease of being able to just lift your baby out of the car in seat and snap onto the buggy frame was brilliant, and we used this function a lot if going for short shopping trips: anything longer and and she was put in the pram.

Overall, this travel system looks extremely stylish. You do have the choice of what base colour you want your seat / pram to be, and choose different interchangeable hood colours - you can easily have a number of different colours on the go! This would be an advantage if you go on to use the system for more than one child, especially if its a girl one time and a boy the other, as you can colour coordinate any way you like :) We were lucky enough to get one of the limited edition Cameleons, so ours was blue denim fabric base, with red hood, and it looked fantastic!

You do need to take the seat unit off the frame for loading into your car, but we never had any difficulty with this. The frame was easy to fold/unfold, and the adapters just snapped on when needed.

Overall, a purchase I would definitely recommend! Loved using it with my daughter, and hope to use it again some day :)

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Excellent pram overall best I have ever had.

When I had my first son 4 years ago I had many prams before I decided to go ahead and buy the Bugaboo. I was very nervous of spending the £800+ for a pushchair after I had so many problems with the previous 10 or so brands I had already tried :o.

I definitely found what I was looking for with the Bugaboo, I really wish I had purchased this first and not held out for so long.

In carrycot mode I love that its a totally lay flat for a newborn, as well as being snug, warm and comfy looking. Although I do think it could benefit from having straps it wasn't really a huge problem. Also the carrycot can be used as an over night "cot" if needed

The seat mode has 3 positions which is very useful, although I didn't really like how when lay flat my son's legs where higher than his head! Again not really a problem I just didn't find it looked "right". Saying that it never bothered my son and he slept quite often while out and about.

The basket is huge!! I didn't drive so relied on using the basket quite a lot and it fit more than any other pram I had used previously. The basket has 2 pull strings to close which makes getting in either side very easy too.

I loved the way everything is interchangeable with different colors/designs even down to the basket!

The rain cover is the best I have used over the 4 years of motherhood, a tight fit with a window to access without having to remove half of the rain cover just to pass a soother/drink in to the child!

The wheels are fab for all terrains we used in the snow/on sand/in the woods and never had a problem with pushing or my son being uncomfortable.

The chassis is also compatible with the Maxi Cosi carseat making trips in the car easier with a click on click off system without disturbing baby.

The parasol was huge and totally covered my son when in use, also the breezy hoods where great too.

Overall both me an my son loved the Bugaboo and I couldn't recommend it enough. More than worth the cost!!

One of my best buys yet :)

The thing I wasn't 100% happy with was the changing bag, I felt for its cost it wasn't the best quality and is rather small. There is a lot better changing bags for the price out there!

Also the folding is a bit of a hassle until you get use to it, having to take the seat off etc. Although these points would not put me off buying again in the future

As my son got bigger and my daughter arrived I bought the buggy board and seat which was a lot easier than a double pram! and my son loved it too :)

Also on Ciao under Sazi1990

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would defiantly reccomend to all mums, its a must have

Ok so this is probably one of the most expensive prams on the market at the moment. But also by far one of the best prams you can ever buy. it has every single feature you could want a pram to have, or f it doesn't you can probably buy the accessory for it. the suspension is unreal for a pram, makes going over bumps as comfy as anything. its lightweight. easy to fold down once you know how. (its only taken 6 months to learn) but its only been folded down a couple of times so im sure its easy if your doing it all of the time. i used the carry cot for the first 4 months... then my daughter wanted to be sitting up looking at the world. the carry cot is extremely comfortable, warm and cosy. and i even let her sleep in it if we stayed over at somebodies house. the seat is extremely comfy, it can go in three sitting positions.and can be facing outwards or inwards.everything can come off to be washed which as a mum is great. the only downside to this pram is to fold it you do need to take the whole seat off which can be a bit of a nightmare if your in a rush. and the basket underneath needs to come off too. which isn't very good if you need to regularly fold it down.

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Fab....buy it!!

Wow! Of all my purchases ever, this has got to be up there with the best. The top 10 at least, possibly the top 3. It is fab! After all the searching of books, catalogues, shops, internet, talking with friends, colleagues, strangers and whoever else will listen on 'what pushchair do i get?'. Look no further,....this is it. Why?.....because it is the elite. Yes, it's expensive. Yes, there are cheaper, similar (or so they say) models on the market, but this is the best there is, the only one of it's kind, in my opinion. I smile everytime I use it (and my toddler still does, has done from birth) as i know not only is it easy to use, glideable, reliable, durable....but you also get admiring glances and questions on what is it (make), where did you get it from, and complete astonishment when friends and family use it to push your little one. Everyone I know who has used the bugaboo or has a bugaboo all say the same thing,....it's fab! Buy it, buy it now! You won't find better. oohhh....you can also buy different colour interchangeable hoods and muffs to go with it too!

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Fabulous, fantastic, easy to use and funky!!

I bought my bugaboo when I was pregnant with my daughter who is now two and never a day goes by when I don't thank my lucky stars that I did!!! It is just fantastic! So easy to fold down and for the first year of us having it, it fitted neatly into the boot of a two door fiesta (with a wheel taken off). Love everything about it, it's easy to manouver, it's light weight, it's durable, it's great for each stage of your childs develoment and to top it off, it's nice to look at too!!! I also love the fact that the maxi cosi car seat clips on to the pram in the early months so you don't need to disrupt your childs sleep for the sake of a quick shop!The main thing I love is the fact that the chair has three positions, upright, slightly reclined and fully reclined. She still enjoys a snooze in the afternoon so if she's feeling sleepy it get's fully reclined and the hood goes up. I also love the fast that the handle can be moved at the click of a button so if you enter a new terrain and the small wheels are not suitable one click and you will have the big wheels at the front, better for cobbles, stony paths etc! The accessories are quite expensive such as the cup holder, new fabrics, sun umbrella, buggy board, travel case etc, but you don't have to buy them if you don't want to and let's face it you are paying for quality and durability!I would definitely recommend the bugaboo to anyone and to top it off the resale value is great, when your child does eventually grow out of it (I'm aiming on a couple more years!!!)

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Fine if you want a Ford KA but a total waste of money if you are looking for a four wheel drive

I bought the bugaboo cameleon after a couple of months of trailing round the usual baby shops and doing research online, however I still feel that despite this I made a big mistake when purchasing my pram.I needed a pram which was suitable for lots of "off road" walking, a designer pram was never on the agenda. I have three energetic border collies and desperately needed a pram which could cope with the demanding walks we go on daily, across fields, on cycle paths and in forests. We also compete in agility trials on a week-end (should I manage to do any competing with my new bundle of joy) so baby may be spending long periods of time in it so comfort was also high priority.I went to three of the leading retailers before I made my purchase outlining my priorities:1/ Must cope with the demands of "off road"2/ Must be comfortable for baby3/ Must be parent facing4/ Baby must be able to lie flat.In each of the three leading retailers I was immediately directed to the bugaboo cameleon and was given lengthy demonstrations about the benefits of this very expensive pram. On the first shopping trip I left thinking there must be a pram which does the same job for less, however on return shopping trips and internet searches eventually resigned myself that to be a good mother I would indeed need to spend £900 on the bugaboo cameleon and accessories. I can now only presume that the staff in the three shops where I sought advice only used the information they were given by Bugaboo because I can not believe they actually tried it for themselves.I picked the colours orange and dark grey and it does look fantastic. Baby is able to face me and can lie flat. Unfortunately that is where my love for the bugaboo cameleon begins and ends. This pram cannot cope with "off road" walking. Do not let anyone convince you of this. On my first outing with bambino I really thought he was going to be damaged from all of the shaking the pram does. On rough surfaces one wheel regularly gets stuck and bambino gets a strong jolt when the momentum of the movement continues to move the pram forward. The pram does not sound stable and I have compared it to the trolley the paperboy uses. Yes the pram is light weight - however on reflection this has disadvantages more than advantages. Taking the bugaboo out in even a light wind is scary, it blows sideways and is difficult to steer.The rain cover is an absolute nightmare to get on, and unless you use it for the full outing I am unsure what you are supposed to do with it. Due to the rigid part of the rain cover it is almost impossible to put it in the shopping basket. This brings me to my next point the shopping basket is small and very difficult to get to, making the bugaboo cameleon not only inadequate for countryside walking but also city shopping.Another issue which I had not really considered prior to by baby's birth was how I would feel about his safety when in the pram. I feel very protective over my son and on my shopping trips with the bugaboo have felt baby is very "on show" and could be snatched in a second of a turned eye. I would, on reflection have chosen a pram with a harness to strap baby in securely.There are a wide range of accessories to go with the pram including footmuffs, sun canopies and I have also purchased these. However the bugaboo cameleon is now resigned for short trips out and I have purchased another pram for my "off road" walking and grand shopping trips.... The Jane. Despite purchasing this pre-owned I am so happy with it. In everyway the bugaboo underachieves the Jane excels. As mentioned above I never wanted the Bugaboo because of "The name", I only wanted a pushchair which would meet my needs. I have compared the purchase to a car. I asked for a Landrover and got a Ford Ka. Fine if I'd asked for a Ford Ka to tootle around the shops, as long as I didn't buy anything but not for driving in the snow or doing the Christmas shopping.Please don't be fooled by the sales patter!!

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Bugaboo Chameleon

When it comes to essential baby products, on the top of most people's lists has to be the pushchair. There are literally hundreds of options available to mums and dads out that and frankly, the choice to make can be quite daunting. Walking into a baby store you are literally presented with all types of pushchairs in different colours, with different wheels, different additional options, functions, etc and it's really hard to know what you want in a buggy.

For me the choice was a little easier as I knew I wanted a Bugaboo pushchair. I know they are expensive and top of the range but this was going to be a pushchair that I would use for all of my children and so I thought the investment was a wise choice. Plus, and I'll be the first to admit it I do like my designer products and labels and with celebrity fans such as Gwenyth Paltrow and film appearances in Sex and the City, for me it was a must have. I like to call it the Rolls Royce of pushchairs, I mean in my opinion it's like, why drive a Skoda when you can drive a Rolls Royce! Ok, that sounds a little smarmy but I do like to have a nice pushcair and I really enjoy being out and about with it so for me it works.

The Bugaboo was designed by Max Barenburg and Eduard Zanen. According to an article I read, they redesigned one of Barenburg's previous designs, and birthed the Bugaboo stroller line in 1996 which offered cutting edge ideas in the baby stroller market. I decided to go for the Bugaboo Chameleon which is a three in one travel system. Now, it wasn't cheap! Hold your breath, but by the time I had bought all the extras I wanted and selected the colour it cost me about £900!

According to the marketing speak on the chameleon, "The rugged Bugaboo Chameleon pram is one of those designs that may even become a classic. With lots of unique features, lightweight and ease of use, it is easy to see why this pram has become a big favourite amongst discerning mums and dads. The Bugaboo Chameleon is a hip, stylish, hugely practical & beautifully designed. It gives you the freedom to explore travel and adventure with your child with complete ease. The Bugaboo comes with a carry cot and converts to a stroller, either of which can face forwards or backwards. Plus you can also buy the different separate parts in all sorts of colours which ensures that yours stands out from all the rest."

The Chameleon comes with a base unit which is the wheels and a carry cot and then a pushchair seat for when the baby gets a bit older. The wheels are extremely hardwearing and feature two big wheels at the back and smaller ones which swivel at the front. However you can turn the handle bar around if you wish and have the big wheels at the front. This is useful for when you want to go off-roading with the stroller. The wheels fold up very nicely and easily although you do have to get the hang of them to begin with. There are two release buttons at either side of the frame which you press in at the same time and then you push the bar downwards until it clicks into place. Once folded down you can then put the wheels in the back of your car. They fit in the back of our medium sized VW but once they and then the carry cot or pushchair is in there, there's not much room for anything else. I have to say I absolutely love these wheels. The manoeuverability is amazing, it really is. You can literally steer this pushchair with just on hand and it can turn corners on a sixpence. I recently went on holiday to America and decided not to take this pushchair with us as I didn't want it damaged on the airplane. Well, we bought a cheap pushchair to take with us and it didn't steer nearly as well as this did and all I could think was, I can't wait to get back to the Bugaboo.

The carry cot is quite large and snaps onto the base nit easily. To release all you do is press in two large buttons on the side and lift off. It's nice and lightweight and in my opinion quite easy to lift. There is a handy bar across the carry cot too which helps you lift it off although sometimes I feel this gets in the way when you are trying to lift the baby in and out. Having said that, this bar is removeable and comes out quite easily too. Once the top of the carry cot is in the up position it's really nice and cosy in there and forms a nice wind break for the baby inside. You can put this shade down too if you want your baby to be able to see out of the carry cot. The carry cot is for when you lie babies down and is suitable from birth. It has an Aerosleep mattress to keep your baby cool and protected from dust, pollen and house dust mites.

Once your baby gets a little bigger there is another portion to this pushchair which is the pushchair seat. This also snaps into the base unit easily and can be lifted off easily too. The pushchair seat has straps that clip into each other to keep your baby strapped in. What's nice is that is has three different sitting angels, a laid down position which you can put your baby in when they have fallen asleep, a middle position which I use most of the time which is generally a normal pushchair angle and quite an upright position which I find is really handy when you want to feed your baby in their pushchair.

You can also put a Maxi Cosi car seat on these wheels too which is great if your baby has fallen asleep in the car and you don't want to move her out of her seat. You again, just snap it into the wheel base but you do need two detachable parts to convert it but these come when you buy the Chameleon.

The Chameleon comes in a number of cool, bright sand out colours which you can pick to satisfy your own tastes. It comes in dark brown, black, red, pink and dark blue. I really wanted the yellow colour but unfortunately you can only get this on the Bugaboo bee. In the end I went for the red which is great for a boy or a girl. The pushchair comes with a plastic rain cover as well which is great, yep, you've guessed it in the rain. It is quite a tight fit over the pushchair or carry cot and is a bit hard to put on but once you have it on it's a really tight fit and really does keep the rain at bay. You can also purchase a lot of optional extras for this pushchair including foot muffs, sun canopys, foot stools and my personal favourite, the snap on cup holder which at £14.95 to me was an absolute bargain.

In conclusion yes, this is a very expensive travel system but I find it extremely hardwearing, I believe it will last for years and I like how I look when I push it!!

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Product Details

The Bugaboo Cameleon is for parents who don't like to compromise, parents who want everything - the latest innovations, the latest materials, the latest brightest colors. This special stroller reflects different personalities when the tailored-fabric colors are mixed and matched with the available base colors. The Bugaboo Cameleon is extremely comfortable and swivel wheels with adjustable suspension. Features: Reclining Back (3 Positions) / Reversible Handle / Adjustable Handle Height